The Scottish Building Federation (SBF) marked the start of its 130th anniversary events with a focused briefing on the Building Safety Act and the scale of remediation work facing the country’s built environment, ahead of its Annual General Meeting held on Thursday 5 June at The Merchants House of Glasgow.
The legislative briefing, delivered by Michael Conroy, partner at Harper Macleod LLP, offered construction professionals and industry leaders detailed insight into the UK-wide implications of the Building Safety Act — originally introduced following the Grenfell Tower tragedy — as well as devolved legislative measures from the Scottish Government.
The session came as new Scottish Government estimates suggest it may cost between £1.7 billion and £3.1 billion in public funding to assess and remediate government-supported buildings across the country over a potential 15-year period. This includes up to 1,450 residential buildings now believed to require some form of remediation work, a significant rise from the earlier figure of around 900 buildings, with approximately 250 high-rise structures among those affected.
The free-to-attend briefing was open to all in the sector and formed part of SBF’s ongoing effort to provide transparent, up-to-date information on major regulatory changes impacting the construction industry.
Speaking after the event, Paul Mitchell, SBF’s Operations Director, said:
“It was a great turn-out for the first in our programme of events to celebrate the Scottish Building Federation’s 130th anniversary.
“We are grateful to Michael Conroy of Harper Macleod for sharing his legal expertise on the Building Safety Act with business leaders and construction professionals, and giving context to what is a complex situation.
“The continued engagement from our members and the wider industry shows that we remain at the forefront of the sector; advancing new technologies, interpreting contemporary legislation and promoting our modern industry whilst also continuing to deliver personalised business support services directly to our growing membership.”
The AGM and briefing were part of a wider series of anniversary events throughout 2024, which will include a construction industry golf tournament in Carnoustie in September, AI-focused training sessions on digital transformation in construction later in the year, and a President’s Lunch in Edinburgh to conclude the celebrations.
With major questions looming over the practical implementation and funding of remediation programmes in Scotland, SBF’s AGM placed a spotlight on the need for legal clarity, industry collaboration, and long-term investment as new regulatory frameworks evolve.
